Timelines/Second
Known events in the second timeline Before Nosgoth's recorded history *At an indeterminate point in this era, an ancient, primitive cult commences its worship of the Elder God, building a statue representative of the god beneath the Swamp. Chris@Crystal's Greatest Hits at the Eidos Forums (by Divine Shadow) *The vampire-Hylden war: The ancient vampires battle an inhuman enemy race in an apocalyptic war for domination of Nosgoth. Raziel: "As I entered the chamber, I sensed that it had been sealed for hundreds – perhaps thousands – of years. And while this room was clearly built when the Pillars were erected, I knew that no ''human hand could have shaped this place – and that perhaps it had never been seen by human eyes. The surrounding murals depicted a winged race, their features so like my own but beautiful, where mine were grotesque... and angelic, while mine were demonic. I tried to decipher these images... a great war, but with combatants like none I had ever seen... the Pillars, raised by this winged race, who thus defeated their adversaries... the winged beings again, writhing in agony, apparently afflicted with the same blood-thirst I had so recently suffered... And throughout the chamber, inscribed everywhere, images of the Reaver itself. Was this what Kain had urged me to discover? I wondered..."'' Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (October 31, 2001) Transcript. Raziel: "Throughout this ancient shrine, murals depicted the winged race, and the apocalyptic war against their mysterious – and equally inhuman – adversaries. These winged beings, it seemed, were not only the architects of the Pillars but of this enigmatic place, as well. And just as in the Pillars chamber, this shrine was adorned throughout with imagery of the Reaver – depicted with the reverence of a holy icon." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (October 31, 2001) Transcript. Raziel: "These murals left no room for doubt – these winged creatures were indeed the architects of the Pillars. And while the images were difficult to decipher, the Pillars appeared to banish or diminish their enemies somehow..." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (October 31, 2001) Transcript. *The raising of the Pillars: The ancient vampires erect the nine Pillars of Nosgoth to banish their enemies. The Pillars are intrinsically tied to the spiritual and physical health of all Nosgoth. GLoK Interviews with Amy Hennig at Nosgothic Realm (by Raziel Fan), post #5 (by RazielFan) The ancient vampires construct the Subterranean Pillars Chamber. *The ancient vampires are somehow afflicted with a predatory blood-thirst. *The summoning of the Guardians: The first Pillar Guardians are assembled, forming the Circle of Nine. The nine original Guardians swear to protect, represent and serve their individual Pillars. When a Guardian dies, the Pillars cull a successor, destined from birth to fulfill their role. Kain: "The book spoke of the birth of the Circle. The Circle served the Pillars, protectorates to the strange power that gives life to our land. At the unlikely death of a member, the Circle remains broken for a time, until the Pillars can cull a worthy successor." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. *Janos Audron significantly grows in renown, and ultimately becomes known as "the greatest vampire to have ever existed". Kain: "Reputed to have been ripped from the chest of the greatest vampire to have ever existed, Janos Audron, the Heart of Darkness restores vampiric unlife. Life is precious, Janos discovered - as it was torn throbbing and bleeding from his own body." Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript. *'The forging of the Reaver:' The Reaver is forged. *Vorador is born.The version of the Nosgoth timeline released with September 2000's Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, slightly incongruous with the one released with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2, is the only source before Legacy of Kain: Defiance to indicate when Vorador originated; it suggests that he was born after the forging of the Reaver, contrary to the later (fourth timeline) revelation that Vorador was its original swordsmith. This is likely a retcon, but in the absence of an official clarification, this article reconciles these sources with the presumption that the order of events given in OPM may have been historically valid before the fourth timeline, and was simply reshuffled by the third paradox at the end of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. *Vorador is sired by Janos Audron, and becomes a vampire. Vorador: "Janos Audron – the Reaver Guardian, the last of the Ancients, and my ''maker – was murdered by the Sarafan nearly five centuries ago. He alone would have the answers you seek, but his secrets died with him. I don’t know how you’ve come even this far without his guidance – or without the Reaver, stolen these 500 years ago by the Sarafan. "'' Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (October 31, 2001) Transcript. *("Thousands of years" before the pre-Blood Omen era) Presumably, the Dark and Light Forges are constructed by the ancient vampires. They are sealed and forbidden to all but the prophesied bearer of the Reaver. *The ancient vampires' civilization crumbles. Their bloodline trickles away, until Janos Audron is left the sole surviving member of his original race. Raziel: "What am I to make of these secrets I’ve uncovered, then? The depictions of the winged race, the Pillars, and the Reaver?" // ~Vorador turns back to Raziel as he responds –~ // Vorador: "Fairy tales, boy. The delusions of an ancient culture, clinging to hope long after the world had discarded them. Their bloodline trickled away, until only ''one of the Ancients remained – sustained solely by obligation and his unfaltering faith in the old prophesies."'' Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (October 31, 2001) Transcript. Elder God: "Ah, my wayward child returns..." // Raziel: "Having unearthed more than you’d like, I suspect. What am I to make of these ruins that litter the land, and these images here in this chamber?" // Vorador: "Merely the deceits of a failed civilization. You are being misled, Raziel. This Ancient race hoped to manipulate the future with these scrawled misdirections. You must tread carefully. There are dark forces at work in this world, bent on subverting your true destiny." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (October 31, 2001) Transcript. Nosgoth's early history *At indeterminate points before or at the start of this era, the human Guardians of Balance, Conflict (Malek), Dimension, Energy, the Mind, Nature and States, who will actively serve during Vorador's later attack on the Circle of Nine, are born. *At an indeterminate point before or during this era, a small cult devoted to a mysterious god - connected to tales of human possession - begins operating. *Nosgoth's vampire population increases, incurring the attention of the Circle. *Headquartered at the Sarafan Stronghold, the Circle of Nine forms and sponsors the monastic Sarafan brotherhood to counter the vampire menace. Malek serves as its leader and general. *''(~30-40 years before ~0)'' The human Raziel is born. **''(During the same approximate timeframe)'' The humans Dumah, Melchiah, Rahab, Turel and Zephon are born. *Dumah, Melchiah, Rahab, Raziel, Turel and Zephon join the Sarafan brotherhood, and are trained to be devoutly loyal to the Circle of Nine. **The six become the commanding warrior inquisitors of the brotherhood. *'The vampire purge': The Sarafan wage war on Nosgoth's vampires. Malek leads the brotherhood to many victories, killing thousands of the vampire race. Several of Vorador's friends, lovers and vampire children are slain, but he and Janos Audron elude their attacks. *Janos Audron is murdered by the Sarafan. His heart, the Heart of Darkness, is ripped from his chest and later pronounced a relic. *''(~0)'' The slaughter of the Circle: Vorador fights back against the human Circle for their sponsorship of the Sarafan, infiltrating the Sarafan Stronghold and killing the Balance, Dimension, Energy, Mind, Nature and States Guardians. He battles, defeats and humiliates their protector, Malek. **Six new Guardians are born (variously Anarcrothe, Ariel, Azimuth, Bane, DeJoule and Nupraptor, or unseen predecessors to them). **Dumah, Melchiah, Rahab, Raziel, Turel and Zephon die in combat. *In Avernus Cathedral, Mortanius punishes Malek for his failure, fusing Malek's soul to a suit of magical armor. Malek is condemned to serve as the unliving Ward of the Circle. *The corpses of the six martyred Sarafan warrior inquisitors are interred in the Tomb of the Sarafan. *The ongoing vampire purges force Vorador into hiding. He becomes lost to Nosgoth, ensconsing himself in his mansion in the Termogent Forest. *''(Long before ~450)'' The Sarafan brotherhood disbands, and their crusade ceases. Pre-Blood Omen era *''(Years before ~0)'' William the Just is born. At a young age, he inherits rulership of a kingdom in northern Nosgoth. *Moebius attempts to rally the villagers loyal to William, and secures an audience with the king. *''(~0)'' → Using his time-streaming device, Kain departs the Blood Omen era, emerging here, nearly 50 years in the past. **Kain travels to William's kingdom, intending to kill William on advice from the Oracle (Moebius). **In the stronghold of William the Just, Kain watches as Moebius provides William with the Soul Reaver and other weapons, and warns William of a vampire sent to slay him. ** The first paradox: Kain attempts to slay William in battle. Both combatants are armed with incarnations of the Soul Reaver, triggering a history-distorting Reaver-convergence. ** Kain succeeds in slaying William, and drinks his blood. Kain's Soul Reaver breaks William's in the battle. After being discovered as the assassin, Kain finds a second time-streaming device, and returns to his own time in the Blood Omen era. → *Devastated by William's murder, the people of William's realm swear a vengeful covenant to their fallen king, promising to eradicate Nosgoth's vampires once and for all. **Eventually, most of Nosgoth's human citizens ascribe to the same genocidal hatred of vampires. *''(~10)'' Under Moebius's leadership, Moebius's mercenary army is formally founded, operating from the former Sarafan Stronghold. **The mercenary army heads a renewed, highly-successful vampire purge. William's corpse is taken to the Sarafan Stronghold, and is beatified in a dedicated chapel with the broken Soul Reaver. *Mortanius is possessed by the Dark Entity. Miscellaneous Questions & Answers at SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain (archived at Dark Chronicle) *''(~20)'' → The Elder Kain emerges from the Soul Reaver era, and makes his way to the Pillars, to await Raziel. ** Moebius snatches Raziel from the time-stream, and conveys him to the time-streaming chamber in the Sarafan Stronghold. Moebius attempts to fuel Raziel's hatred for Kain and the vampires. ** In William's chapel, Raziel discovers the broken Soul Reaver. A Reaver-convergence begins as the Wraith Blade leeches Raziel's soul energy to restore the sword. Raziel threatens Moebius with the Soul Reaver, but stays his hand, and leaves the reconstituted weapon behind. ** Before leaving the Stronghold to meet Kain at the Pillars, Raziel encounters a mural recording the life of Janos Audron, demonizing him as a predator who terrorized Uschtenheim's population. **Possessing Mortanius's body, the Dark Entity murders Ariel. Kain, her successor as Guardian of Balance, is born to an aristocratic family. ** The corruption of the Pillars: Nupraptor, Ariel's lover, finds her corpse and realises that Mortanius was responsible for her death. Overwhelmed with grief and suspicions of treachery, Nupraptor plunges into madness, unleashing a psychic onslaught directed at the entire Circle of Nine. Throughout all Nosgoth, the minds of the sensitive and intellectual are blasted by waves of hatred. The Circle is permanently left mentally corrupted, and the Pillars physically crack and corrode. Raziel and the Elder Kain both witness this event from the Pillars' clearing. ** Using the Wraith Blade, Raziel unlocks the Subterranean Pillars Chamber for the first time in centuries, and discovers the ancient vampires' murals within. He meets the Elder God, who insists that he destroy Kain and the vampires. ** In the Swamp, Raziel solves the Dark Forge to obtain the Dark Reaver, and meets Vorador. They discuss the vampire purges, the corruption of the Pillars, the Reaver, and Janos Audron. ** On his return journey to the Stronghold, Raziel begins to denounce the Elder God. He solves the Light Forge, and obtains the Light Reaver. ** The second paradox: At William's chapel, Raziel meets the Elder Kain, and takes up the Soul Reaver. Here, Raziel is destined to murder Kain. ***''→ This timeline is derailed and dies, spawning the altered third timeline. →'' **Raziel kills the Elder Kain with the Soul Reaver at the chapel, and history proceeds as normal. *Ariel's specter begins to haunt the Pillars of Nosgoth. *The insane and deranged Guardians unleash their powers against Nosgoth, with malicious intent. Anarcrothe, Bane and DeJoule create the Dark Eden. Nupraptor practices self-mutilation, sewing his own eyes and lips shut, and terrorizes pilgrims who journey to his retreat near Vasserbünde. *King Ottmar of Willendorf holds a contest to celebrate his daughter's birthday, offering a royal favor to the creator of the finest doll in the realm. Among hundreds of submissions, Elzevir the Dollmaker's entry is proclaimed the winner. Elzevir takes a lock of the Princess' hair in payment. **Elzevir traps the Princess' soul in a burlap and silk doll. The Princess becomes lifeless, plunging Ottmar into despair. *Coorhagen, Kain's home city, is struck by the plague. *By now, the vampire race has been devastated by the crusades of Moebius's mercenary army, and Vorador is among the last survivors of his kind. *''(~50)'' Kain departs Coorhagen, embarking on a journey across Nosgoth. **Mortanius recruits a band of assassins to murder Kain. **At night, Kain attempts to seek shelter at a tavern in Ziegsturhl, but is denied entry. Forced to the road, he is slain by the hired assassins. **Kain's body is interred in his mausoleum in the Cemetery. Blood Omen era *''(During, or shortly before, ~0)'' Azimuth begins summoning and unleashing demons on Avernus, setting the city on fire. Trade from Avernus to Vasserbünde ceases. *''(~0)'' Mortanius offers Kain the opportunity to avenge himself in the Underworld. Kain hastily accepts, and is reborn as a vampire. **Kain awakes in his mausoleum, and kills his assassins near Ziegsturhl. Informed by Mortanius that the true culprits still live, and seeking a cure to his vampirism, he meets the specter of Ariel at the Pillars of Nosgoth, who instructs him to destroy the corrupt Circle of Nine and restore the Pillars. **Kain travels through Nachtholm and Vasserbünde, and infiltrates Nupraptor's Retreat. He beheads Nupraptor and returns the head to the Pillars. The Pillar of the Mind is restored. **Passing through the plague-ridden Coorhagen, Kain travels to northern Nosgoth and flies to Malek's Bastion. He attempts to destroy Malek, but fails. Kain travels to the Oracle's Cave in search of a means to defeat Malek. **Moebius, posing as the Oracle of Nosgoth, advises Kain to seek Vorador in the Termogent Forest. **Kain meets Vorador, who gives Kain his Signet Ring. **Kain travels to Dark Eden and kills Bane and DeJoule, while Vorador destroys Malek. **Kain returns Bane's Antler Headdress, DeJoule's Insulating Cloak and Malek's Helmet to the Pillars. The Pillars of Conflict, Energy and Nature are restored. **Kain journies south through Avernus. In Avernus Cathedral, he discovers the Soul Reaver, and claims it for his own. With the Reaver, he slays Azimuth, and obtains the time-streaming device she stole from Moebius. **Kain returns Azimuth's Eye to the Pillars. The Pillar of Dimension is restored. **Moebius coerces Kain to travel back in time and assassinate William the Just. Kain utilizes the time-streaming device, departing for the pre-Blood Omen era. → ** → Having killed William the Just, Kain returns to the Blood Omen era to find that his own actions caused the renewed vampire purge headed by Moebius. Traveling south of Stahlberg, he watches as Moebius's mob publicly executes Vorador, the last vampire in Nosgoth (besides Kain). ** Fighting Moebius's mercenary army and illusory enemies conjured by Moebius, Kain defeats and beheads the Time Streamer. ** Kain travels to the Pillars at Mortanius's invitation. He witnesses Mortanius slay Anarcrothe in battle, then battles Mortanius himself. The Dark Entity emerges as Mortanius dies; Kain defeats it. He returns Moebius's Hourglass, Anarcrothe's Scales and Mortanius's Death Orb to the Pillars, and the Pillars of Time, States and Death are restored. ** The collapse of the Pillars: Kain finally realizes he is the Balance Guardian, and is left with a choice: sacrifice himself to restore the Pillar of Balance and Nosgoth, or refuse the sacrifice and trigger the Pillars' total collapse. Kain chooses the latter option, electing to rule Nosgoth in its damnation. Post-Blood Omen era *(~0) Embracing his vampirism, Kain rejoices, establishing a throne at the ruined Pillar of Balance. Raziel: "Beyond these walls lay the Pillars of Nosgoth, the seat of Kain’s empire. How humble it now appeared, collapsing into the dust of its former magnificence. And yet I had only just emerged... In the instant between my execution and resurrection, centuries had apparently passed..." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation. (August 16, 1999) Transcript. Kain: "I knew what ominous hour this was in Nosgoth's history. For here was the event that had shaped my entire existence... I had cast my fate, refusing the sacrifice, damning the Pillars, and founding my doomed empire upon their ruins. I would raise the Sarafan priests to be my closest lieutenants, and would one day cast the strongest of them, my servant Raziel, into the abyss - dealing one last hand to play against Fate. But in the end, had it made any difference? Had I misread the signs, as Moebius told me? In my arrogance, had I missed my cast at destiny?" Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Defiance. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (November 11, 2003) Transcript. *(~500) The raising of the lieutenants: Kain infiltrates the Tomb of the Sarafan, raising the six Sarafan warrior inquisitors to act as his vampire lieutenants. Raziel, Turel, Dumah, Rahab, Zephon and Melchiah are reborn in respective order. Elder God: "Yes, Raziel - you were Sarafan... born of the same force that all but destroyed your race. Before the dawn of the Empire, you were chosen. Kain - Nosgoth’s solitary, self-declared monarch - plundered this tomb and raised you from these crypts. Breathing his vampiric gift into your defiled corpses, he resurrected you as his favored sons." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation. (August 16, 1999) Transcript. Soul Reaver era *''(~0)'' A new vampire race is born as the lieutenants sire Raziel's clan and the Dumahim, Melchahim, Rahabim, Turelim and Zephonim clans. Kain's empire is founded. **The vampires begin to destroy Nosgoth's major human kingdoms. Vampire hunters rise to counter their menace. *''(At an indeterminate point "centuries" before ~1500)'' In defiance of Kain's empire, human architects construct what will become the Silenced Cathedral, in hopes of wiping out the vampire race with a deadly hymn. **At an indeterminate point after its construction, the vampires (chiefly Zephon and the Zephonim, presumably) slaughter the Cathedral's inhabitants and take it for their own. *''(~100)'' By now, the vampires consider humanity "tamed" and "thoroughly domesticated". At an indeterminate point, the Abbey and the Human Citadel become two of the last vestiges of safety for the human race in Nosgoth. *The Sanctuary of the Clans is constructed as a shrine around the Pillars of Nosgoth by slaves. The Smokestack is also built. *Growing increasingly bored over time, Kain and the lieutenants pit the lesser vampires of the empire against each other for their own amusement. The Council is formally founded. *''(After the Blood Omen era, but prior to ~1000)'' The Abyss manifests in the Lake of the Dead. **Kain's descendants utilize the Abyss as an execution ground for traitors and weaklings in their society. *''("Centuries" before ~1500, and most likely before ~1000)'' Dumah and the Dumahim retreat into Nosgoth's northern wilderness. The mountain stronghold which will later become known as the Ruined City is constructed, and becomes home to the Dumahim. *At an indeterminate point, Raziel and his clan establish a stronghold which serves as their clan territory. *At an indeterminate point, the Priestess is born. **At an indeterminate point, vampire worshipers begin to operate in Nosgoth under the leadership of the Priestess, and deify Kain. *Raziel surpasses Kain in stages of pupation, growing bat-like wings. *''(~1000)'' While feeding on a female, Raziel suddenly realizes his captive is not human. She reveals herself to be a Construct of the Elder Gods, and tells Raziel of his destiny to be destroyed in the Abyss and reborn to exact revenge on Kain. Raziel slaughters the Construct and burns her remains. ** Kain and the Council meet at the Sanctuary of the Clans. Raziel reveals his wings, which are ripped from his body by Kain. ** Raziel's execution: The Council travel to the Lake of the Dead, where, on Kain's orders, Dumah and Turel cast Raziel into the Abyss. Turel assumes Raziel's former position as the empire's second-in-command. *Whether eradicated by Kain or absented for other reasons, Raziel's clan ostensibly disappears from Nosgoth. Raziel's clan territory becomes derelict. *Nosgoth is increasingly wracked by cataclysms as a result of the Pillars' destruction and the vampires' practices, and its landscape is significantly warped over time. As part of these upheavals, the Abbey is drowned by deluges, and the Tomb of the Sarafan is exposed and becomes accessible. *Kain's surviving lieutenants and their children continue to devolve. They become practically unrecognizable as the centuries pass. **Becoming increasingly ghoul-like to their own displeasure, Melchiah and the Melchahim relocate to the Necropolis, and begin replenishing their ranks from the corpses therein. **Becoming increasingly spider-like, Zephon's body gradually becomes one with the Silenced Cathedral. **Becoming increasingly piscatorial, Rahab and the Rahabim gradually overcome their natural vulnerability to water, gaining the ability to swim. They retreat from the surface to dwell in the Drowned Abbey. *''("Centuries" before ~1500, but after ~1000)'' The vampire hunters launch a successful surprise attack on Dumah's mountain stronghold, decimating the Dumahim, and slaying Dumah himself **Leaderless, the few surviving Dumahim are reduced to roving scavengers. *Rahab is personally informed by Kain that he is destined to die at Raziel's hands. *''(During, or shortly before, ~1500)'' Vampire hunters attack the Silenced Cathedral, and are repelled by the Zephonim. One makes it to Zephon's lair with a flamethrower, but is severed in half by Zephon. *''(~1500)'' After suffering relentless agony in the Abyss, Raziel is resurrected as a wraith by the Elder God. Now the Elder's symbiotic agent, he is obliged to destroy Kain and his brethren in his quest for vengeance. ** Guided out of the Underworld by the Elder God, Raziel explores the wasteland of Nosgoth. Beyond the Sanctuary of the Clans and the Abyss, he is enraged to discover his clan territory desolate, his clan apparently dead. ** Witnessing Melchahim murdering a human, Raziel pervades the Necropolis, and reaches Melchiah's lair. He kills Melchiah and devours his soul, attaining the ability to phase through gates. ** At the Elder God's urging, Raziel infiltrates the Sanctuary of the Clans, and encounters Kain awaiting him at the Pillars of Nosgoth. They battle, and Kain strikes Raziel with the Soul Reaver. The Soul Reaver shatters, unable to devour its own soul. Satisfied at this outcome, Kain departs. ** Raziel succumbs to his wounds and slips into the Spectral Realm, where he inextricably bonds with the spirit liberated from the Soul Reaver - the Wraith Blade. He meets Ariel, who agrees to conspire with him in ensuring Kain's destruction. ** Raziel ascends the Silenced Cathedral and reaches Zephon's lair. Using the deceased vampire hunter's flamethrower and Zephon's eggs, he immolates Zephon. By consuming Zephon's soul, he gains the ability to scale walls. ** Raziel infiltrates the Tomb of the Sarafan, and rediscovers the Council's forgotten heritage as the former leaders of the Sarafan brotherhood. Beneath the Tomb, he destroys the Tomb Guardian and obtains the telekinetic force projectile ability. ** In the Drowned Abbey, Raziel makes use of sunlight to destroy Rahab, and gains the ability to swim from devouring his brother's soul. ** Raziel reaches Dumah's throne room, and pulls the stakes from Dumah's chest, reviving him. Luring Dumah to a furnace, Raziel destroys Dumah and devours his soul, attaining the constrict ability. ** In pursuit of Kain, Raziel journies through the Oracle's Cave and into the Chronoplast. He witnesses his own recent past and potential future in the Chronoplast visions, and reaches the heart of the complex, where Kain awaits. He battles, but fails to defeat, Kain, who activates the Chronoplast's portal, and passes through to the pre-Blood Omen era. Raziel follows. → (No later events in this timeline are covered in the series.)